


Beyond Hope

by Selly_Ripley



Category: Alien (Prequel Movies), Alien Quadrilogy (Movies), Alien Series
Genre: Darkfic, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, F/M, Heavy Angst, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, Prostitution, Suicidal Thoughts, Tragedy, human/android
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27375850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selly_Ripley/pseuds/Selly_Ripley
Summary: A man has planned an evening with a beautiful woman in an opulent space hotel normally reserved for Weyland-Yutani big wigs. Attentive by design, his companion perceives that her client intends for this to be his last evening alive. As she attempts to dissuade him from his self destructive ideations, a calamity of unknown origins plunges the luxurious establishment into chaos.A story about original characters set within the Alien/s/3/prequels universe.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 15





	1. Good Company

**Author's Note:**

> This is a darkfic involving the topic of suicide, so please curate your reading experiences accordingly. If you are feeling suicidal please call a crisis hotline for your country and know that I, for one, do not want you to commit suicide.

In a suite bathed in sun-set hued light a couple lay in quiet repose recovering from their energetic enjoyment of one another’s company.

"After an evening like that a man could die happy." Said Max, as he stretched out lazily beneath the hotel sheets.

A large bay window provided a breathtaking view of the small moon the hotel was in orbit around – a widely arced, luminous green-blue horizon contrasted against an endless black expanse.

"And that's your plan, isn't it?" Replied the woman he had spent the last few hours with, as she curled up comfortably beside him. "To die?"

Max pursed his lips in a bemused look and hesitated before deciding how to respond. Both remained surreally relaxed, neither expressing the sort of distress one would expect to accompany such a question. 

"How did you guess?"

"I don’t mean any offense," said the woman, "But I don't think you'd be able to afford a night in a place like this, _or_ a night with me, unless tomorrow wasn’t something you had to take into consideration."

"Maybe I'm rich." Said the man, "Maybe I just don't like to show off with flashy clothes, keep things low key."

"Yeah, and maybe I’m secretly Sir Peter Weyland's heir and I just do this sort of work as a hobby…" said the woman with lilting sarcasm. "But, only a Wey-Yu big wig could afford this place and you definitely _aren’t_ one."

"How can you be so sure?" 

"Because you actually have a soul," Laughed the woman "I can tell." 

Cora unfurled her lithe frame and nimbly arose from the bed then sauntered over to the nearby hot tub. She secured her long, dark brown hair in a casual up-do before sliding gracefully into the churning water.

Set apart from the rest of the hotel, this executive suite was the most deluxe the establishment had to offer and spared no amenity a corporate oligarch could possibly wish for. 

Max threw off the covers and picked up his pants from the floor. He fished a pack of Bolaji Imperials and a lighter from his pocket, lit one, then returned the rest of the pack and the lighter to his pocket and dropped the pants back on the floor.

The scruffy faced 30-something slid into the hot tub alongside Cora, leaned back against the edge of the tub and took a drag on his cigarette.

"So what? What if I have scratched all my tomorrows off my agenda?"

"Well," said the woman, pensively, "First tell me… how are you planning to do it?"

"Why?" asked Max "So you can try and stop me?" 

"Would you _like_ me to try and stop you?" Asked the woman "That's extra you know. There's an extra fee for that." 

Max laughed dryly. "They have a ‘space-walk tour’. The hotel - they offer a scenic space-walk. I was going to go on the tour and take off my helmet. Something with a little pizazz you know? Give the rest of the folks on the tour something to write home about." 

"Nah." Said Cora. "You don't want to die like that." 

"Why not?" replied Max." 

"Because," Said Cora "Your lungs will rupture and all your blood vessels will expand and start bursting. We’re clearly here because you wanted your final experiences to be beautiful, but that would ruin the whole thing.”

"I think I’d fall unconscious pretty quickly.” Said Max

"I think the adrenaline would keep you conscious for longer than you'd like. You’d be surprised at the lengths the human body goes to try to preserve itself under desperate circumstances."

"You'd consider yourself an expert on the human body, would you?" Asked Max, sliding closer to Cora on the stone bench in the hot tub and putting an arm around her, a little surprised to find himself preparing for a second round of penultimate carnal distraction. 

Cora leaned into his embrace and laughed "I think I've already proved that I am. …I'm more attentive to humans and their needs than even another human could be." 

Max suddenly recoiled with an involuntarily start, then looked remorseful "Wait a minute…are you a robot? I mean, it's fine if you are. It doesn't make any difference to me--" 

Cora laughed good-naturedly showing no signs of offense "The company doesn't use my model anymore. It's actually pretty common for _older_ model synthetics to wind up in world's _oldest_ profession. Not to mention the fact that we're pretty damn good at it." 

"Wow...I really would never have guessed you were--" Max stared off into the distance distractedly, overcome by a renewed sense of isolation. 

Cora took him by the hand. "Run away." She said. 

"With you? ...Or from you?" He asked. 

"No," Said Cora "Run away from your problems. Your responsibilities. Let people down. No one ever presents that as an option, but it's better than what you're planning." 

Max gave a wry chuckle. "I'm afraid my problems are of the sort that aren't escapable." 

"Why?" Asked Cora "You aren't sick are you? Terminal?"

"No, it isn't anything like that..." Said Max "But...it's just...this really is the only way out." 

"It's not." Said Cora. "I've met people in worse situations than you."

"Ha," Said Max "You don't even know what my situation is."

"You can still feel happiness. You're still seeking beauty and deriving pleasure from life. You've enjoyed your night with me, haven’t you? There are people who can't feel pleasure at all any more. Who _can't feel_ happiness. But, there's still hope for you." 

Max thought for a moment "So, you’re that good, huh? Someone who spends a night with you and doesn't feel any happiness is beyond hope?" 

"No one is beyond hope." Said Cora. "Trust me. Whatever it is -- family, debt, career...run away. You're running away _anyway_. But you can find a way to do it that doesn't involve your death. Humans have a misguided sense of honor that makes them think death will grant them some sort of absolution. But, it IS possible to live with the fact that, no matter what you do, you're going to be the bad guy in SOMEONE'S story. " 

Max considered what she said and stared out the bay window into the distance. 

"Hey," He said finally "It sounds like you're trying to stop me. Is this going to cost extra?" 

Cora laughed "If you’re worried about having to pay then I guess that means it’s working.”

"I could use a little more convincing." Said Max and nuzzled her neck.

She leaned into him and whispered "Don't do it."

Just as they began to kiss the lights in the room went out. The room was almost pitch black except for the small amount of moonlight from the window.

Max climbed out of the hot tub and fumbled for his clothes in the darkness.

Both dressed quickly. They felt suddenly uneasy and anxious. There was an ominous air about the power outage that was difficult to place.

"I’m sure you’ve stayed in places like this more often than I have," Said Max "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"Almost never." Said Cora. "And electrical problems in space are never a good sign.”

Max slipped the room key into his pocket and the pair made their way out into the hall.

The hallway was eerily quiet and dark, save for a green hue cast by emergency lights recessed in the wall along the floor.

They hastily made their way down the hall in the direction of the elevator bank. As they advanced down the corridor they began to notice what appeared to be black oil-like smudges along the wall and floor.

The dark stains seemed to increase in size and frequency as they advanced down the hall. In the dark-green dimly lit distance they started to make out an unsettling sight on the floor.

As they cautiously approached they discovered sheets, towels and cleaning supplies strewn about the floor from overturned housekeeping cart alongside a motionless housekeeping worker sprawled in horrifying array, laying atop a dark puddle which matched the oily looking stains on the walls.

Max retrieved his lighter from his pocket and held the lit flame near the unfortunate housekeeping worker.

Even in death the worker wore a contorted look of anguish.

The more natural light of the flame revealed the worker’s freshly pressed white uniform to be splattered with blood – the large puddle upon which he lay and the stains that had appeared oily and black under the influence of the green-emergency lights, were also revealed to be blood.

One arm lay flung outward perpendicular to his body while the hand of his other arm lay below his throat in a loosely curled fist. His blood soaked white shirt was ripped open revealing a gaping hole in his chest. Bits of broken rib jutted upwards and out at unnatural angles. Sinew and organ tissue from the chest cavity trailed outwards, haphazardly.

Max and Cora struggled to process the disturbing scene when an otherworldly shriek broke the shocked and somber silence. A small but vicious serpentine monster flung itself at Max in a flurry of teeth and claws.

Max stumbled backwards, his lighter clattering to the floor, plunging the surroundings back into disorienting green-hued darkness.

Max put up his arms shielding his face, and curled into a ball as the creature ferociously attacked any exposed area it could access.

Quickly evaluating the situation, Cora snatched up the lighter and grabbed an aerosol can from the overturned cleaning cart.

She took aim and the hallway was suddenly illuminated by a blaze of orange-white as she directed the flame of her make-shift weapon at the bizarre beast.

The creature let out a piercing shriek and retreated into the darkness.

Max sat on the floor, uncurling slightly to lean back against the wall. He clutched the more severely injured of his arms and groaned.

Cora rushed to Max’s side and got to work using strips of the discarded sheets from the cart to bandage the defensive wounds on Max’s forearms. Fortunately she had acted fast enough that the creature had only had time to inflict superficial damage.

Max winced and struggled to catch his breath, trying to sound composed despite the pain and slowly subsiding panic.

“What the fuck was that thing?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it” Said Cora.

“Is that what killed the cleaning guy?”

“It must be.” Said Cora. “And there might be more of them. I don’t think we should stick around to find out.”


	2. Bridges Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Cora continue to try to make their way out of the disaster stricken luxury space-hotel and meet a few unexpected guests along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have added a few additional tags since chapter one, so returning readers are advised to review the tags before deciding whether to proceed. The third and final chapter will be posted this Friday.

Cora finished bandaging Max’s arms then helped him to his feet. He took a moment to steady himself and they continued down the dark corridor until they reached the elevator. 

The gold doors seemed luminous with an eerie green glow under the influence of the emergency lights. When the doors opened, they revealed that while the floor and ceiling of the elevator car remained intact, along with a thin iron post at each corner, the glass walls had been shattered to oblivion.

Originally designed to give the passenger an elegant, 360-degree view of the hotel’s grand atrium, the now wall-less platform hung ten stories above the indecipherable darkness of the palatial reception area.

“I guess the first step in getting out of here would be getting back to the main entrance.” Said Cora

“What if everyone’s already evacuated? Taken all the ships?”

“It’s our only chance.” Replied Cora. “We have to try.”

The pair stepped onto what remained of the elevator. Max took a wide-set stance trying to steady himself near the center of the wall-less square of floor. With one outstretched arm, he braced himself against one of the posts at the corner, but it shifted under his touch as though it was about to come loose.

Once the elevator began its descent from the dizzying height at which it was perched, the disorienting motion and recent blood-loss combined to give Max a sudden wave of vertigo.

Cora caught him under the arm as his legs started to buckle, and wordlessly held him steady for the duration of the elevator’s journey.

As they approached the lobby, previously amorphous shapes began to resolve themselves.

A grand-piano lay overturned and splintered. Priceless art was knocked over and destroyed.

As the skeleton of an elevator car reached its destination, it announced its arrival with a low and distorted “Ding.”

A bellman’s cart lay half-crushed, designer suitcases and their contents shredded and strewn about, water spurted and dribbled awkwardly in a damaged fountain.

“This is a lot of damage for one small creature, even one as vicious as that. ” Said Max “There must be a whole mess of them lose.”

Cora took stock of the damage “How did they get in here…?”

“Maybe some rich asshole’s exotic pets. Or some new engineered creature for betting or fights or something.”

Cora pointed in the direction of the reception area

“Come on, if we’re lucky, there might be shuttles docked at the check-in entrance.” Said Cora

“And experience thus far leads you to believe we’re lucky?”

“Luckier than the cleaning guy at least…” Cora replied.

They crossed the vast lobby towards the airlock where they hoped at least one shuttle might be docked.

The lobby was dark and cast in the same green hue as the hall where they’d discovered the body. The fact that there was no sign of any people anywhere did not bode well for their chances of finding a shuttle.

They silently passed the abandoned check-in desk and reached the main entrance’s shuttle bay.

The interior airlock door was already open, they cautiously stepped into the bay. The room was expansive enough to hold around ten small vessels. The window on the exterior airlock door admitted a small amount of starlight.

The bay was disappointingly void of any shuttles. Along one wall, a full-length cabinet door hung open then suddenly creaked. Cora raised her makeshift flame thrower in the direction of the noise.

As if in reaction to their presence the cabinet door flung open against the wall with a loud smack, and from behind the door came a surprisingly human shriek.

The sight took a moment to process in the darkness, but standing beside the open cabinet was a stocky woman with closely cropped hair in a slightly disheveled hotel managerial staff uniform.

“Where the hell did you come from!?” She shouted, trying and failing to regain her composure after being badly startled.

“We’re guests at the hotel. Replied Cora. We were in the executive suite, separate from the main hotel so we weren’t aware anything was out of the ordinary until most of the others evacuated, apparently.”

“Do you know what exactly is going on?” replied the hotel clerk “I actually think I might have a concussion. I woke up on the floor of the hallway and I don’t really remember anything that happened before that…”

She squinted her eyes and stared upwards into the distance for a moment as though her missing memories might materialize before her, with enough concentration. 

“…anyhow, I’m sure glad to finally see some friendly faces. I haven’t been able to find anyone anywhere but the whole place is trashed. Communication systems are down, it’s like some kind of nightmare.”

“There’s some kind of creature loose on the ship.” Said Max “Probably a bunch of them. They’re small but dangerous. One mauled a housekeeping guy to death. I’ve never seen anything like it – ripped open his chest, maybe ate his lungs or heart or something… Then it attacked me.”

He held up his bandaged arms for emphasis.

“Anyhow,” He continued “I guess we’re pretty much screwed? There are no shuttles left?”

“Actually,” replied the manager “there’s a valet shuttle in the storage bay. I was going to leave on it myself, but the hull has been torn open, I guess by one of those creatures.”

“So then it’s useless?” Asked Max

“Well, not exactly.” Replied the woman “It won’t take us _far_ in its current state but, there should be more passenger ships at the orbital docking ring around the hotel. That’s actually where most of our guests’ ships are valeted. It’s like a long circular skywalk that goes all the way around the hotel with a series of docking berths all along it.

It’s a 15 minute shuttle ride to the ring. It won’t be a smooth trip but it’s survivable in an EVA suit with an oxygen supply. That’s why I came back here. This is where we store the EVA suits and O2 tanks for the spacewalk-- you see, we offer a scenic spacewalk tour and—“

“I’ve heard about it.” Said Max “Let’s just get the EVA suits and get out of here.

“I’m Jackie, by the way.” Said the hotel clerk as she handed Max and Cora EVA suits and helmets, and took a set for herself.

“I’m Cora and this is Max” Said Cora, slipping into an EVA suit.

Max wondered whether she actually _needed_ one but decided it might be rude to ask.

Once their EVA suits were on they each secured their O2 tanks. Each carried their helmet under one arm. Cora slipped the aerosol can and lighter into a pocket on the leg of her suit. 

“Ok, Jackie, you lead the way.” Said Max.

“The shuttle storage is on a lower level normally only frequented by staff. We’ll need to take the service elevator.”

Max and Cora followed her out of the shuttle bay and down a corridor branching off from the atrium.

“Does this sort of thing happen often in this business?” Max asked.

“I wouldn’t know,” Said Jackie “This is my first week on the job. I’ve been with Weyland-Yutani construction division my whole life. This was sort of a surprise reassignment.

“That’s a pretty big career change.”

The trio continued down the dark corridor and followed Jackie down a slightly narrower hallway.

“I think they just wanted me out of their hair.” Said Jackie “I was rocking the boat a little bit. Getting people organized, contesting unfair conditions and all that. Honestly, I thought they were going to fire me. But, they said I had a head for leadership and this place just opened up and was in need of staff…next thing I know, well, here I am.”

“Lucky you.” Said Max

“What about you, what kind of work do you do?” Asked Jackie

“Well, I was with the mining division, until pretty recently.”

“Did you lose your job recently?” Asked Cora “Is that why you planned this getaway?”

Max chuckled at Cora’s discreet phrasing.

“I can see how it would be sort of a chicken and egg question but no. I was already thinking about getting away and I didn’t really care about burning bridges anymore.

So I quit, pretty fantastically. It was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done.” He glanced furtively at Cora

“Then, right after I quit, I heard about this place opening up and thought…why not? Good way to blow my last few paychecks...”

They reached the steel grey doors of the service elevator.

“Here we are,” Said Jackie

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a spacious service elevator, designed for transporting staff along with carts of supplies. The three stepped inside.

As they waited for the doors to close, a huge black form gracefully unfurled itself from the ceiling and stood face to face with Jackie.

At least six feet tall, the creature’s obsidian domed skull glinted in the darkness. Jackie recoiled as the creature breathed it’s hot, noxious breath in her face.

Cora grabbed for the makeshift flame-thrower and Max steeled himself then threw a side-long flying kick at the creature, landing his foot on the creature’s flank.

It whirled around and snatched at him with its clawed hands.

There was a sudden burst of flame as Cora fired at the creature with the make-shift weapon. The closing elevator doors reopened as the creature retreated into the hall.

Jackie smashed the “CLOSE DOOR” button and just as the doors started to close the creature reached between them and grabbed hold of Max by the shoulders.

Cora grabbed hold of one of Max’s legs and held firm as the creature tried to drag him out. Pulled in two different directions, Max stumbled forward, falling to his knees, held up off of the floor only by the creature trying to drag him off into the darkness.

With the upper half of his body outside the elevator, the doors closed around Max’s waist. Max grasped at the creature’s clawed limbs, trying to pry himself free to no avail.

The elevator started to descend with Max still caught between the doors. Jackie joined Cora in her efforts to pull Max back inside. 

Max was brought to a standing position as the elevator car descended. The elevator floor dropped out from beneath his feet and his legs dangled into the elevator car while his upper body rested on the floor of the hall. The elevator car continued to descend, like a slow-motion guillotine.

Jackie and Cora held fast to Max’s EVA suit and pulled downward with their full weight in one last coordinated effort to pull Max back into the car.

As the gap between the floor of the hall and the ceiling of the elevator disappeared, there was a sudden sickening crunch.

Max, still in one piece, fell to the floor of the elevator in a heap. There was a sudden spurt of corrosive liquid as one of the creature’s arms was pinched in the top of the elevator door.

“Look out!” Cora gasped and turned away as a spray of acid hit her in the face.

Jackie put up her arms and shielded her own face, as the clawed limb continued to spurt acid.

Max scrambled out of the way and got to his feet as the arm fell from the ceiling to the floor. There was a hiss of smoke as an acidic puddle formed around the arm, burning through the bottom of the elevator. 

The three watched as the floor around the arm gave way and the arm fell through. The elevator works groaned as the acid and the arm made their way down the shaft and through the machinery. 

The three looked up from the floor and around at each other. Upon seeing Cora, Jackie jumped with a slight start and then suppressed her reaction. The synthetic skin on the right side of Cora’s forehead and eye was burned away revealing the plastic and metallic structures beneath.

Jackie glanced at Max as if trying to discern whether he was equally surprised at the revelation that Cora was an android.

Max, badly shaken from the ordeal, could only manage “Thanks for the rescue.”

“I-“ Started Jackie, “I thought you said the creatures were small.” 

“That wasn’t like the one that attacked me before.”

“They sure seem to like you, specifically.” Said Jackie.

“Max, your suit!” Cora interrupted and began examining the fabric of Max’s EVA suit around the shoulder.

There were large claw marks all the way through the material around the shoulder and neck area.

“Oh, that figures.” Said Max.

“It’s ok!” Said Cora, “You can have mine.”

“Are you sure –“ Started Max

“Yes! It might void my warrantee,” Cora joked “exposure to the vacuum of space isn’t ideal, even for a synthetic, but I can at least survive it.”

“No,” Said Max, “I mean, maybe you should give it to Jackie. Jackie, check your suit, didn’t you get splashed by the acid?”

The three closely examined the fabric of Jackie’s suit. There was a smattering of small, discolored spots along the arms from where she had shielded herself from the spray. Each spot revealed a small burn where the suit’s copper-colored exterior layer had been dissolved, revealing a layer of white material beneath it.

“It’s ok.” Said Jackie. “It doesn’t go all the way through. I’ll be fine.”

“No,” Said Max “You should take Cora’s suit. If anyone should take it, it’s you…”

The elevator reached the storage floor and the door slid open with a tortured metallic creaking sound.

“No!” Insisted Jackie “We don’t have time to sit around and play musical suits. I’m going to be fine, these suits are over-engineered and extremely durable – we have a whole little spiel about how safe they are that we recite for the tour groups. I’ll be fine.”

Max discarded his torn suit and reluctantly slipped into Cora’s suit before disembarking from the elevator.

The hall of the storage floor was stiflingly narrow compared to that of the main part of the hotel. The low ceiling made it feel like an old-time submarine or navy vessel. This floor was illuminated in red emergency lights which didn’t seem any brighter than the green ones from the upper floor but somehow did seem to improve visibility.

Jackie led the way out of the elevator and down the narrow hall. 

She turned back and glanced at Cora. “You know, I’m a member of the league of humans for artificial person’s rights. If you’ve ever been treated unfairly by the company – made redundant or fired without cause, I know a good lawyer who can help you negotiate back pay and compensation.”

Max replied, “Somehow, I just wouldn’t be at all surprised if that lawyer also recently got reassigned to this hotel…”

They reached a door with a panel on the wall next to it. Jackie typed in a code and the door slid open to reveal a small shuttle bay with a single shuttle.

Jackie pointed out the hole in the side. It almost looked as though the wall of the shuttle had been punched through by an impossibly strong fist. 

“Ok,” Said Jackie “Max, you and I will be able to talk to each other through the comms in our helmets. Cora, since you’re not wearing a suit, we won’t be able to communicate with you once we take off until we reach the ring, because sound doesn’t carry in space.”

Max and Jackie put on their helmets and snapped the closures shut. All three boarded the small shuttlecraft. Max and Cora strapped into the passenger seats, while Jackie punched away at the navigation panel at the front of the shuttle, laying in a course for the docking ring.

The interior airlock door of the shuttle bay slid shut.

There was a violent woosh of air towards the hole in the hull as the shuttle’s life support system attempted to pressurize the cabin.

Max and Cora sat strapped into their seats as dust and debris blew past them and was sucked into the hole.

Jackie grasped the back of one of the front seats, bracing herself against the wind as warning beacons immersed the cabin of the shuttle in pulsating-yellow light.

A mechanical voice rang out “Hull breach. Do not attempt to open airlock.” 

Jackie frowned as she furiously punched buttons, seeming to be engaged in a game of chess against the computer while standing in a tornado.

Finally, the flashing lights ceased and a tinny voice proclaimed “Override accepted.”

The wind continued as Jackie grappled her way to a seat and strapped herself in. 

Out the front window of the shuttle, the exterior bay door opened before them like a giant mouth.

The swirling dust and debris ceased and the wind died away as the cabin pressure finally equalized to a vacuum.

The shuttle took on a peaceful quality as it silently sailed into the vast night, towards the docking ring along the course Jackie had set.

Max leaned back in the jump seat and closed his eyes, feeling some of the tension in his mind and body start to alleviate for the first time since this ordeal began.

The silence was broken by a strange hiss over the comm on his helmet.

He looked towards Jackie and saw a thin trail of white vapor leaking from the sleeve of her EVA suit, as oxygen started to escape one of the tiny acid-burnt holes.

She tried to cover the leak with her gloved hand, and another leak sprung up on the other arm. 

Over the comm, Max heard Jackie’s breathing turn into a short rapid gasping which quickly gave way to an unnerving gurgling sound.

She unfastened her seatbelt and stood up in a seemingly delirious panic. She appeared to be trying but unable to scream. Max could see that there was blood pouring from her nose and down the side of her cheek from her ear.

She clutched at her head through her helmet, as though her head was in pain and crumpled to her knees.

Max started to unfasten his seatbelt, to try to render whatever aid he could, but Cora put out her arm and pushed him back into his seat.

She gave him a sympathetic but pleading look.

There was nothing they could do.

Jackie floundered and thrashed on the floor for what felt like a long time before ceasing all movement. Her eyes fixed in a wide and distant stare, the whites of them now totally red from ruptured blood vessels. 

Max looked away from the gruesome scene, almost turning completely sideways against the safety belts of the jump seat. His guilt made the sight of the corpse all the more unbearable. He couldn’t help but think that this was his fault -- for not insisting that Jackie take the undamaged EVA suit.

Cora seemed to sense Max’s thought process. She put an arm around him. To comfort him and maybe, in part, to try to protect him from whatever impulsive decisions he might make in these next precarious moments. 

He could not bring himself to take comfort in Cora’s touch.

He couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t right that someone else should have died so he could live when he had come here to die anyway.

The shuttle approached the orbital ring in silence.

As the shuttle started to automatically dock, Max turned to look at Cora.

He was surprised to see that she was staring fixedly towards Jackie’s corpse. Reluctantly he followed her gaze.

He couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

Jackie’s corpse was soundlessly twitching on the floor. But, it didn’t seem to be moving under its own power. It was as though something was trying to burrow its way out of her chest.

As the shuttle clicked into place with a docking berth, the cabin was again bathed in intermittent yellow light.

The pair unstrapped from their seats and examined the control panel. An error message stating “Danger: Cannot Open Airlock – Cabin Not Pressurized” appeared in bold letters across the screen.

Cora tapped away at the keys, trying to work out the override code. Under Cora’s commands, the shuttle door’s opened but the docking station's airlock doors remained closed.

Max located the shuttle’s fire ax. He repeatedly swung the ax at the door, but with each attempt, the ax bounced off not leaving so much as a dent. 

As Jackie’s corpse continued to lay wide-eyed on the floor, the fabric at the chest of her EVA suit began to stretch and tear.

Finally, a furious toothy creature, seemingly unphased by the vacuum of space, emerged.

The creature flung itself towards Max. Max dodged the creature and landed a blow with the ax at the base of its tail, momentarily pinning it against the airlock door.

The creature shrieked in a rage, and pulled free, trailing acid.

A widening hole began to form on the airlock door as the acid spread. Max hacked at the newly formed hole with the ax.

The creature again launched itself at Max but it was blown backwards in mid-air as a blast of wind filled the shuttle once the door was finally breached.

Max used the ax to anchor himself, reached out his arm towards Cora, and pulled her along with himself into the small airlock.

As acid spread at the juncture between the shuttle and the docking station, the shuttle separated and went sailing off into space.

Debris and equipment flew overhead and wind threatened to suck Max and Cora out of the airlock into space as well. They made their way from the exterior door to the interior door, using the ax as a grappling hook.

They finally reached the interior airlock door and entered the main hall of the docking ring. The wind finally ceased as the airlock door slid shut behind them.

The docking ring was illuminated in a similar red lighting as the staff area in the hotel. Normally only seen by valets and shuttle drivers, it had the same narrow hallways and low ceilings.

Now, safely inside the pressurized station, Max removed his helmet and leaned against the wall next to the airlock door.

He took several deep breaths, trying to process everything that had happened. Cora put a hand on his shoulder. He met her eyes – one eye appearing very human and the other now unblinking and obviously artificial.

Finally, he said “Well…you were right. That isn’t a good way to die.”

“She’s probably lucky to have missed what came after. …Now I guess we have a better understanding of what happened to the cleaning guy.”

“How did that thing get inside her?” Asked Max

Cora suspected he was worried he might be harboring such a creature unknowingly. She tried to give him a reassuring look but feared that her current appearance wasn’t conducive to it.

“She said she’d been unconscious. Something must have happened to her during that time.” Said Cora “Now that we’re here, we’ll find a ship, we’ll get out of here, and everything is going to be fine.”

They started walking the length of the ring. It was like Jackie had described it, a long narrow skywalk. It was punctuated by windows and numbered docking berths to make it easy to organize and locate guests’ valeted shuttles and ships.

They kept an eye out the windows as they walked, passing by a few empty docking berths, resolved to board the first ship they encountered.

“If we survive this, can I take you up on your offer? To run away with you?”

Cora chuckled “I’m not sure that’s _exactly_ what I said.”

Max replied “But can I just imagine that you invited me to run away _with you_? At least until we get out of this?”

Cora’s attention wandered momentarily as she noticed a ship docked at the next berth. It looked like they would be getting out of here after all.

Before she had a chance to say anything, Max let out a terrified scream. She turned to see him disappearing into a space between the ceiling and wall, dragged by an unseen assailant.


	3. Conscience, Remorse, and Delusions of Morality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are made about Cora's past as she searches for Max, determined not to leave without him.

Two Years Prior

_Cora sat alone in a fluorescently illuminated conference room, in a low-backed wooden office chair. Everything about the room seemed designed to be uncomfortable and intimidating. Almost like an interrogation room -- intended to put pressure on whoever happened to be unlucky enough to be summoned there._

_It most likely meant that the higher-ups already suspected that she wouldn’t be amenable to their request._

_She paged through the mission brief as she waited._

_Finally, a well-dressed Weyland-Yutani businessman in his late fifties walked through the door smoking a cigar._

_“Hello…Cora? Is it?” He did not offer a handshake. “Did you read the mission brief? You’ll be leaving this afternoon.”_

_He stood at the table across from her, electing not to sit._

_“I did.” Said Cora, setting the brown cardboard file folder stamped “CONFIDENTIAL” on the table in front of her._

_“And, I’m sorry. I can’t accept this mission. It falls outside of my ethical parameters.”_

_Visibly annoyed, the executive placed his hands on the table and leaned towards Cora._

_“But isn’t this_ exactly _the sort of thing you’re designed for? Persuading people? Reading them and figuring out exactly what they need to hear?”_

_Cora kept her tone even and informative “My model is optimized for persuasion under conditions where it would preserve human life, such as hostage negotiations or crisis counseling.”_

_The businessman stood straight and took a drag on his cigar “Well, then you’re perfect for the Fiorina 161 mission! You’re this woman’s only shot at survival. Convincing her to allow us to remove the specimen is the only way to save her life.”_

_The word "specimen" was an interesting choice. It was the same word used in the mission brief. Someone with the intention of destroying the threat all together might have used the word “parasite” or even the more neutral “organism”._

_Like a handful of other subtle details throughout the intentionally vague report, the word “specimen” indicated an intent to collect, to study – to harness._

_Cora knew she had to be diplomatic in her response and explain her position without casting aspersions on the company._

_“From the limited data you’ve given me, I project that this mission carries with it a high probability for loss of human life.”_

_The businessman regarded Cora, choosing his words carefully._

_“Wouldn’t you,_ by omission of action _, be allowing a human being to come to harm if you didn’t try to convince this poor woman to let us help her?”_

 _His point had merit, her programming did place a high degree of importance on not allowing loss of human life through inaction. But it placed an even_ higher _degree of importance on not_ causing _loss of human life._

_And from what she understood about the probable motives and objectives at play here, the risk to human life outweighed any potential benefit._

_“Ethical calculations in situations like this can seem ill-defined but according to my programming,_ avoiding _actions that would foreseeably_ cause _harm takes precedence over_ taking _actions that might_ prevent _it. I’m sorry. But my behavioral inhibitors won’t allow me to assist.”_

_“Goddammit, what’s even the point of a synthetic then!? They sure don’t make them like they used to, thanks for that one Bishop…”_

_He was ranting more to himself than to Cora._

_“…In fact…I’ll send Mike Bishop to this Fiorina shithole, make this his problem, considering it’s his fault I can’t even find a good synth to do it...”_

_Cora recognized the name of the man she’d considered, in an abstract sense, a sort of father figure – though she’d never actually met him in person._

_“Michael Bishop…?” She inquired._

_“Never mind it.” He snapped, “Everything you’ve learned in your time with the company is confidential, don’t forget that. And, if you’re not able to help with this mission or others like it, we no longer have need of your services. You have 24 hours to vacate company housing. …Best of luck in your future endeavors.”_

_He turned and stalked out of the room._

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Current_

A quick search of the hall yielded a storage crate that Cora utilized as a stepladder to access the opening near the ceiling.

She crawled through a maze of narrow ventilation ducts, carefully searching for any evidence of Max or the alien lifeform that had dragged him away. The possibility that Max might still be alive… _alive and in need of help_ spurred her onward through the darkness.

It was even darker in the vents than it had been out in the hall, but her vision was slightly better than that of a human’s, and the acid had not affected her sight. The damage had only been to the synthetic skin around the eye, not the actual optical sensor itself. It was a superficial injury that could easily be repaired once she and Max got out of here.

At a juncture between branching vents, she encountered a trail of viscous liquid. It had the appearance of secreted resin. She took it as a sign she must be getting close to where Max had been taken.

She crawled in the direction the trail emanated from until she could make out a faint light where the narrow passage opened into a large room.

She inched forward and peered down from the vent. It was as though the dimly lit room below had been transformed into some sort of hive, with strange organic shaped, amber-like walls.

She emerged from the vent and lowered herself into the room as quietly as possible. The ambient temperature there was much warmer than in the rest of the station.

In a strained voice, she heard

“Cora?”

She rushed over to Max. He was _inside_ the wall, stuck in the hardened amber substance with only his head exposed.

She spoke in a hushed tone, “Don’t worry, it’s going to be ok. I found a ship. I’ll get you out of here and we can leave this place.”

She started pulling at the hardened resin in an effort to free him.

Max began shaking his head in disagreement and his face contorted in an expression of revulsion at some unseen internal sensation.

“No, Cora, listen. It’s too late. Very soon I’m going to end up like the cleaning guy and like Jackie. And, I don’t want to live through that. I don’t want to _live through that, okay?_ You have to help me.

Cora’s mind reeled as she tried to process alternative solutions.

“Max…there is a way… I know it can be removed surgically. We can get you on a ship and into a cryo-pod…”

“No Cora, it’s too late. We don’t have much time. Please… kill me.”

Cora rocked back on her heels, stricken by an overwhelming wave of helplessness.

She deeply longed to be able to assist Max – to grant this final act of mercy. But her programming had apparently not taken situations such as this into account. Taking a human life was the one thing she was not, under any circumstances, capable of. 

“Max…I can’t, I-“

Cora yelped and flailed as she was seized from behind. There was a series of snapping and tearing sounds. White fluid bled from her neck as her head and body were pulled asunder and violently thrown in separate directions.

With the threat to the incubating unborn neutralized, the surreal form responsible for the surprise attack retreated back into the darkness.

Max emitted a low, despondent sob as Cora’s head landed on the floor facing him a few yards away. The limbs of her headless body made a quiet whirring sound as they twitched uselessly on the floor beyond Max’s line of sight. 

A long moment passed as the pair could do nothing but wait for the inevitable. 

“I’m sorry, Max…” The catastrophic damage had imparted a mechanical, polyphonic quality to Cora’s voice, “For what it’s worth, I would have run away with you.”

Max hung his head mournfully and spoke with resignation in his voice,

“I would have just let you down, sooner or later.”

Max started to cough intermittently, which soon escalated to a fit of violent choking and retching. He thrashed about to the limited extent possible, but being closely encased in the hardened resin he was unable to find even the limited relief a change in position might have offered.

There was a series of crunching and ripping sounds accompanied by prolonged screams of agony. 

Pearlesque solution streaked from Cora’s eyes like tears as she unblinkingly bore witness to new life fighting its way into the world.

There was nothing she could offer but a quiet and slightly distorted

“I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDK961l172NjYv1BoBbbPlSjEkWgbmgix


End file.
